Just One Week...

Well, seven days from right now I'll be over the Atlantic on an American Airlines Airbus A330-300 (flight AA720, seat 32E for those of you keeping score), flying out of Charlotte, North Carolina en route to Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome. At this point, all the big things (hotel reservations and rental cars) are taken care of. Now it's time to take care of the little things. Forgetting about the little things can make a would-be great trip a disaster.

When traveling, the last thing you want to have happen is for your credit or debit card to be declined because your financial institution identifies your purchase of a cannoli and an espresso in Florence as "unusual activity". As obvious as this always seems after the fact, the reality is that it's not an uncommon occurrence at all. I've had this happen before, and it can be mildly embarrassing. Thankfully, though, it's easy enough to take care of this before ever leaving the ground at you home airport.

Every debit and credit card in the world has a toll free number on the back of it. Just call that number and follow the prompts to enter the dates you'll be traveling and, boom. Done.

Now, here in the good ol' U.S. of A. we have AC power that we can get to just by sticking our little two or three prong plugs into the wall socket, and pretty much everything we plug into a wall socket runs on 115 volts. Unfortunately, once you head overseas, this changes. This changes a lot. The reason it changes a lot is that, depending where you go, the wall outlets are a lot different than what we're used to here, and the plugs vary greatly from country to country. So, you'll need to not only pick up a power adapter (I actually recommend at least two of them), but you need to be sure you're buying the proper adapter for where you'll be traveling.

When we went to Ireland last year, we used these:

These worked great in Ireland but, sadly, they're not going to work in Italy. So, off I went to my local TravelPro store (where I purchased my suitcase last year) to pick up the adapters I'll need.

There are a myriad of adapters that are available and, to be honest, I can't imagine that there are any huge differences between most of them. So, I go with the Austin House brand,, which is a division of TravelPro (just in case you're looking for them online). You can find them all over, though, including Amazon.
 

One glance is all you need to see that this one is very different than what we used in Dublin:

 

Now, when it comes to luggage, there are some undeniable truths:

• One day, an airline will lose your luggage
• The airline will only lose your luggage at the start of your vacation, never the end
• That paper ID tag you got at the check-in counter will barely make it past baggage handlers
• When you do get your luggage back it'll look like elves have partied amongst your belongings.

While I've had luggage "misdirected" at times, I've always gotten it delivered within a few hours, save for one trip to Montreal where Air Canada actually sent someone to my hotel to take me shopping because my suitcase was on its way to Brazil (I got it three days later).

With regards to this, it's important that you take at least a minimum degree of care to protect your belongings. Again we turn to TravelPro and Austin House. First, name tags. While every airline offers you those cheap name tags at the ticket counter, they're absolute garbage. They're made of paper and elastic string and you'll be lucky if it makes it through to your destination.

Instead, drop a whopping $8 on a pair of sturdy ID tags:

In a post 9/11 world, everything that's going onto an airplane gets scrutinized. A lock for your luggage isn't really too much of a deterrent for even a mildly motivated thief, but it can help keep the bag closed when it's subjected to overzealous baggage handlers. If you choose to use a lock, make sure you use a TSA approved lock. You'll know right away if it is by the red diamond on the lock case.

These locks can be opened at every single security screening point in the United States and Canada, as well as many airports overseas. They can be opened by security personnel to allow for inspection of your suitcase and then locked again.

Lastly, let's discuss cash.I like cash. I like cash a lot. But you have to be careful when exchanging it overseas, because you want to get the best conversion rate possible while being as safe as possible.

Right now (11:12pm EST on April 2, 2019, the current rate is, according to XE.com, $1 (US) to €.8912. So, if I exchange exchanged $1,000 (US) I could expect to get €891.20. But that's not really how it works. You see, this doesn't take into account any service fee or commission you might pay to whoever is exchanging your cash. It's usually a small amount, but it can take you by surprise when you expect €891.20 but only actually receive €827.90 instead.

AAA offers a service called AAA Travel Money and it works like this: You go to the AAA website (you need to be a member and, by the way, why aren't you?) and navigate your way to the Travel Money site, which is actually operated by Travelex. You simply enter either the amount you want to exchange or the amount of the foreign currency you want, pay via credit card, and the money is delivered to you the next day (signature required, of course). You can order your money as far as 21 days out from your tip, and you can even have it placed on a Travelex money card. Not being familiar with their money card, I'm opting for the cash. I know I'll probably exchange more at some point while I'm in Italy, but it'll be nice to have cash on hand.

If you're going to be renting a car, check to see if the country (or countries) in which you'll be driving that car require you to have an International Driving Permit (IDP). In many countries your driver's license and passport are sufficient. In others, however (like Italy) you need to have one, and it's only valid when presented with your driver's license. The car rental agency may never ask you for it. If you're asked for it by a police officer, though, you'd better have it or you risk what could be a heavy fine.

I'm worldwide, baby...

All that said, I haven't yet fully determined the purpose of it. I didn't have to take any type of test to get mine. Tripsavvy says that it translates your license into different languages, but I don't know how it would do that. I just had to pay $20, get my picture taken and now I'm legit. Only two agencies in the United States issue these permits: the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance. If you try to acquire an IDP through any other agency or outlet, it's a scam.

Lastly, don't forget your passport. I know this is probably the most obvious thing to remember, but that's also why it's so often forgotten. If you have a connecting flight here in the States, you'll get there an no further. Also, check the expiration date. Passports are good for a period of ten years, but you'll often be denied entry into a foreign country if your passport expires within six months of your arrival.

There are, of course, numerous other "little things" that need to be thought about and addressed, but these are the ones which I think are pretty important to keep at the forefront of your mind while you're making those final travel preparations.

Oh, and it's after midnight. T-minus 6...